Human Rights Law: Overview and Area of Practice

Regardless of residence place, social status and income, we possess rights generic for each of us. The latter were documented by the governments of current communities. Herewith, experts were guided by the canons of honor, esteem, and mutual balance.

Overview of the Human Rights Law

The Declaration of 1948 is not a juridical obligatory instrument, although it serves as a basis for numerous cross-borders treaties. It is about political, economic, social, and cultural privileges. Thanks to such legislation, we have warranties against discriminatory treatment, genocide, and torment.

Some arrangements are supplemented by special protocols that specify some complaints. International law operates even in emergency cases, establishing protective ventures for the inhabitants. It includes legal contracts between the participating countries and legal norms on a local scale.

The UN paper, together with the some Covenants, is at the core of the Bill of Human Rights. After the Second World War, a grandiose work was carried out in terms of developing documents in this area. Among them we may recall:

  1. Pact on the Prevention of Genocide
  2. Refugee Law
  3. Anti-Discrimination Law
  4. Covenant against Women Discrimination
  5. Administrative Law
  6. Pact on the Child’s Rights
  7. Disability Law and policy
  8. Indigenous rights

This list is not exhaustive. Its content is constantly supplemented by amendments, declarations, and treaties that seek to improve the hominal protection as the world's main value.

Features of the International Human Rights Law

Unlike civil freedoms, human rights law is perceived as general behavior rules on the whole planet. They are called a natural or legitimate phenomenon, endowing with egalitarianism. They guarantee a proper due process, freedom of moving, employment, and basic medical care. Such acts strictly prohibit slavery, lynching, arbitrary imprisonment or hard labor. Specialists distinguish their next characteristics:

  • They belong to human by birth. No government or company is able to provide them for a fee or service. The burden is that liberties cannot be bought or inherited since they are already inherent in us.
  • Similar privileges are the essence of every person's life. Their absence deprives our existence of meaning and honor.
  • Nobody has the power to deprive us of our rights, even if local system does not recognize them, allowing certain violations.
  • If an individual has not been able to use legal grounds for a long period of time, this does not mean they have lost them permanently.
  • Human rights are indivisible, i.e. people should live in free, safe, and dignified conditions, not choosing only one criterion.
  • The mentioned freedoms are unique since they do not accept national borders and other parameters. You may be rich or poor, a Muslim or a Christian, but equally you can count on respect and tolerance.
  • Observance of some rights leads to an automatic deployment of other privileges.

In addition, the normative acts serve for the defense of victims from retaliation by relatives or other persons. Of course, some types of human rights and situations may be considered an exception to the rules. Everything depends on the events and given assets.

Area of Human Rights Law Practice

The canons of the indicated law can be used at various levels. By ratifying the treaty, the government undertakes to esteem and in every way contribute to the shield of the said rules. Besides, domestic legal system should be brought into line with global standards.

In the absence of legal defense from local laws, victims have the chance to resort to global mechanisms. They are closely related to the humanitarian norms, which contain similar items. The difference is that the humanitarian regime is applied exclusively to military conflicts, whereas the international one fits all times, including peaceful ones.

In addition, cross-borders acts defend us from discrimination in employment, membership in trade union associations, the purchase of real estate, the usage of public facilities, as the propagation of symbols or emblems.

State Obligations and Procedure

Most present parliaments are obliged to esteem the points of international law. That is why the best lawyers are working to achieve compatibility of internal and global acts. It is not enough to enter the circle of participants by signing a paper. The authorities must comprehend the full measure of the accountability assumed before speaking on behalf of its own nation.

An obligation is not an empty sound, which can be easily dismissed. The authorities are obliged not only to refrain from any interference in private life but also to support certain social cohorts from a misunderstanding by society. As measures, it needs to apply both preventive ways and suitable response.

The UN has determined a monitoring system to observe the actions of countries. These include the Human Rights Council and structures formed from independent experts in accordance with generally accepted standards. True, these bodies do not control the observance of the humanitarian law.

Human Rights Council

It consists of 47 states, the UN members, which are empowered to fight against unfairness and discrimination. Their competence also includes supporting the most vulnerable social groups and identifying criminals. The Council established special procedures to remedy situations around the world.

The latter involves persons who function as speakers, and crews of neutral actors. They work on a voluntary basis through the consent of the Council. To date, there are about 30 thematic mandates, which are declared in detail at public meetings.

Thus, you do not need to have super-empowering abilities to exercise your rights. Being a child, you have already possessed them. It is enough to stay a human to realize the remaining privileges in practice.